Nindō: The Ninja Way
by SandShinobi
Summary: With war brewing in the Land of Wind, the Kazekage reaches out to Konoha. Disregarding the fact of being labeled rogues, Nara Shikamaru and gang refuse to turn their backs on a friend in need. Can they help Gaara save his people or will they fall to the heavy hand of the Tsuchikage?
1. Prologue

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own the Naruto series as well as the characters in it!**

Prologue

When the Earth Daimyō sends a diplomat to Sunagakure to discuss trade strategies that could strengthen both countries economically tragedy struck. While the meeting with the Kazekage, Gaara of the Sand, had went well it was what happened afterwards that changed things drastically. It is common knowledge that many of jonin and chunin leveled ninja in the sand village liked to go for drinks after their duties were taken care of and joke with one another. It is also known that outsiders were only tolerated to a certain extent. So when the diplomat drinks a little too much at one of the sake bars in the village he finds himself in a rather deadly situation.

In a drunken stupor the politician began to boast about how the ninja of Iwagakure were far more superior to the sand shinobi. When word of this politician's bragging got to a group of chunin who had been drinking for several hours after guard duty they took it upon themselves to let the foreigner know that he was beginning to overstep his boundaries. Unfortunately what started as a argument quickly escalated into a fight that resulted with the Earth Daimyō's representative dead in the sandy street. Gaara was furious and knew that this wouldn't end well considering the already unsteady relationship with Iwagakure.

After dealing with the irresponsible chunin accordingly Gaara immediately took the only action he thought to be sensible. He dispatched a team of his own shinobi to Land of Earth with gifts to make amends for what happened. Weeks went by without word from his team and Gaara began to wonder if they even made it to their destination. Unfortunately his fears were replaced with a much more undesired discovery. When Kankuro burst into the office with several ANBU carrying a large box Gaara immediately expected the worst. The box contained the decapitated heads of his entire team with lines scraped over the Suna symbol of their hitai-ate.

"Kankuro-Kun, call a emergency meet for all squads as well as the ANBU. I believe we have just started a war.."

A war they started, indeed. Within a week the Tsuchikage, Ōnoki, had dispatched a small army of his best shinobi to the land of wind to make a statement that they were out for blood. Gaara knew that he couldn't afford to go headfirst into this without reaching out to their ally, Konohagakure. It was at a very bad time considering the village hidden in the leaf was still in the process of rebuilding their home. No more than two months after the battle with the Akatsuki's Pain on their home front, the village and its people were still in a weakened state.

Newly appointed Hokage, Danzō Shimura, immediately tore the message to shreds and pretended as if he had never received anything. It wasn't until Temari arrived at the village that the news reached the Konoha shinobi. Danzō realized that the leaf ninja were learning of Sunagakure's situation and established a order which decreed that no shinobi of the leaf were to leave the village to help Sunagakure. His reasoning behind this was that the village was too weak for them to be helping another. Much of the villagers were outraged by this order but could do nothing about it… Or could they?

This is where our story begins…

**Author's Note's**

Well first off I need to make a pretty important confession!

This is my very first story! So being new to this whole thing I'll take any help I can get!

That is the main thing I would like to get across! I'm a pretty big fan of the Naruto series and I felt like writing a story would be a fun thing to do! The story setting is placed just a few months after Konohagakure is destroyed and Naruto defeats Pain. There could possibly be some spoilers as the story continues but none from any events after the Invasion of Pain arc. As for the characters in the story and what pairings there will be, I will only be throwing a handful of Konoha shinobi in the story and the main two pairings with be NarutoxHinata and ShikamaruxTemari!

I should also point out that in this story Danzō Shimura doesn't die and actually claims the title of Hokage while Lady Tsunade is in a coma. He is the official extremist nutjob of the story!

I would really appreciate reviews on any part you see fit! Whether it be the plot of the story or just my writing style. Considering I'm new to this whole deal my writing may be a little weak at points so help would be greatly appreciated! Also, being a college athlete as well as a student I'll be pretty busy at times but I promise to submit chapters on a regular basis!

Thanks!


	2. Chapter 1

Chapter 1: The Secret Meeting

Piles of shattered buildings still littered the area that was once the prosperous village of Konohagakure. It had only been a couple of months since Pain wreaked havoc on the village and it's people but they all seemed to be in decent spirits despite the current situation. A little over half of the village's former glory had been restored but it still had a long way to go before being what it used to be. Determination was one thing the people of the leaf village were known for and even that powerful drive had been almost stretched to its limit. Sleep- deprived faces and forced smiles riddled the newly built streets.

Danzō Shimura, the new sixth hokage, had been relentless with his orders and plans for restoring the village. So relentless that the man had completely disregarded the well-being of his subordinates and this had caused a lot of the citizens to resent him. At first they all liked the way the old man stepped in Lady Tsunade's shoes and took charge, but that quickly went from being the encouragement they needed to the never ending work they resented. It was slowly becoming clear that maybe Danzō wasn't the best choice for the position of the sixth hokage.

So basically life was extremely hectic for the Konoha villagers. So hectic that it called for much more energy than Nara Shikamaru had the desire to exert. The only thing that was keeping him from throwing his hands up with the whole situation was his extreme loyalty to his people. The young chunin had taken a break from guard duty to watch three very frustrated jonin storm from the freshly built hokage tower, most likely to relay even more orders to their squads. The boy gave a loud sigh and jammed his hands into his pockets before taking a seat on one of the large piles of lumber.

"That old man is going to destroy this village before we even get it rebuilt again.."

Shikamaru's tone was about as bland as the expression he had plastered on his face. He knew that he shouldn't complain considering Naruto-Kun had battled so courageously to save this place. Speaking of Uzumaki, Shikamaru hadn't seen the boy running up and down the streets like he typically did. Now that he thought about it, he hadn't seen _any_ of his friends for quite some time. Even though the genius wouldn't admit it, this only worsened his already bad mood. Guard duty typically dampened his mood just from how the hours seemed to crawl by and this only made standing there even more boring.

The recent events had changed the lazy ninja in more than one way. The constant fighting to protect his family and friends with complete disregard to his own life seemed to instill a new kind of courage deep within his heart. Shikamaru no longer had any sort of lingering thoughts about saving his own hide when there were others in danger. Then there was the fact that the sixteen year old chunin had been thrown into a position that many retired shinobi had never had the opportunity to fill, much like most of his class. The maturity level of his entire graduating class seemed to increase. Well, except for Hyuuga Neji. Nothing seemed to faze that guy in the least bit.

Shikamaru had gotten so lost in his own thoughts that he never noticed Uzumaki Naruto approach him. "Yo! What's going on?" Naruto asked with his typical outrageously loud voice. The Nara simply looked up at his friend and let out a long yawn before scratching the back of his head. "Guard duty.. It's a drag." He said in a lazy tone while taking quick glances towards the gate to make sure he wasn't falling off on his assigned duties. "What about you, Naruto-kun?" Shikamaru almost immediately wanted to take that question back when the boy went into a very animated rant about how miserable he was. "It's horrible! I mean how is a guy supposed to survive when they've rebuilt every possible place to eat EXCEPT Ichiraku's?!" Shikamaru couldn't help but let out a chuckle before shaking his head at his friend.

"Naruto-kun, you can't tell me there isn't one other place you enjoy to eat at."

Naruto couldn't even find the words to answer such a ridiculous question so he just stared at the chunin as if he were a idiot. "Yeah, should've known that." Shikamaru muttered before taking yet another glance at the gate. "I even went to old man Tuechi's house to see if I could get a bowl! All of his cooking supplies is buried in one of those piles outside the gate." Naruto looked completely hopeless after he explained his ramen situation. Instead of continuing his rant the fox boy sat on the lumber beside Shikamaru and stared at the ground quietly.

Before either of them could think of something else that might strike up a conversation a little less depressing a figure appeared in the gate. They both immediately looked up after sensing the chakra pattern. "Who the hell is that?" Naruto asked aloud before squinting to see if maybe he would able to identify the person. Shikamaru immediately recognized that chakra pattern and jumped to his feet with a concerned expression. "Temari-chan? What is she doing here?" With that thought being a bit more verbal than he had intended Shikamaru trotted over to her. Naruto quickly chased after him asking a barrage of question the other ninja had no intentions of answering.

Once close enough the ninja quickly realized that she as completely drained of chakra and looked as if she were about to pass out. "Temari!" Shikamaru shouted just before catching the kunoichi at the last second. The sand shinobi regained consciousness almost as fast as she lost it and looked up at her friend with a disoriented look. Shikamaru told Naruto to go get helped and then quickly sat Temari up on another stack of lumber that wasn't too far away. It took the girl a few minutes to regain her train of thought while Shikamaru braced her from falling by putting his arm around her.

"I-I bring word from Sunagakure. The land of earth is preparing to…. To attack!"

This was a lot for someone to have to take in without preparing for this kind of information. "We sent word for help but never got any sort of reply. My brother sent me to see what the problem was." It was clear that Temari was having a hard time speaking due to her weak condition and loss of breath. If Shikamaru had to guess, the kunoichi had exhausted her chakra by running here without stopping. Something like that could kill a normal shinobi. "Slow down, Temari-chan. Catch your breath before you pass out again." His calm instructions only resulted in her giving him a sharp look that on a normal occasion would send chills down his spine.

_Several hours later…_

"You mean to tell me that the Kazekage's sister is in our medical wing?!" Danzō Shimura shouted with rage at one of his assistant who had given him the news. He slammed his fist down on the surface of the large wooden desk that sat in front of him. _This could cause problems. I need no distractions from this villages restoration._ Danzō thought to himself while maintaining a angry stare at the young man who seemed to be trembling in the doorway waiting for orders.

"Assemble all chunin-ranked and above immediately!" His loud shouts hadn't lost any rage within the minutes the man sat in silence. The assistant nodded and rushed off to gather everyone. The hokage rubbed his chin and gave a sigh of frustration. This was not something he wanted to deal with now. Actually, he didn't want to deal with this ever! In his respected opinion the sand village deserved none of their assistance. Not when they had their own problems to deal with.

It only took about a half hour for all of the shinobi to gather on the steps of the tower. Uzumaki Naruto and Nara Shikamaru were standing at the front the group. The hokage stepped out and held his hand up signaling for the crowd to stop talking and listen. "It has been brought to my attention that the Land of Earth has declared war on Sunagakure. As unfortunate as this is I want to make something very clear to all of you. I hereby forbid any ninja of Konoha from leaving to offer assistance. We have far too much to be dealt with here and it would be damaging from an economical standpoint to fight someone else's war." Almost immediately there were whispers among the ranks and then Naruto let out an outraged growl.

"We can't stand here and let the sand village fight alone! They are our allies!"

Danzō pointed a finger at the blond with a fierce expression. "You will obey my orders, boy! Do not think that just because you have been labeled a hero it gives you the right to question my authority! I am the hokage and you will do good to remember that!" The man then turned back into the tower and slammed the door. Naruto continued to shout curse words at the man even though he had already retreated to his office. The rest of the ninja stifled their want to argue with the order as well and dispersed back to what they were doing before the meeting.

Shikamaru was shocked to say the least. How was he going to tell Temari that she would making the journey home alone to fight after she woke up? "This is wrong.." He muttered quietly as Naruto finally gave up on cursing the hokage to death and came down to him. "I say we still go." Naruto's suggestion wasn't something that hadn't already crossed Shikamaru's mind. "That would be treason. Deserters are considered rogues." That was something that couldn't be taken very lightly. That radical would probably declare them criminals that should be killed on sight. Naruto stuck a finger in the chunin's face.

"Those are my friends. Rogue or not, I'm not going to let them face this alone."

This was stressful but Shikamaru knew exactly where the orphan was coming from. Finally after a minute or so of debating he nodded in agreement. "Good, ask everyone you know that may help and meet me at the Pervy Sage's grave at midnight." With that being said Naruto disappeared. This was going to be very interesting. Shikamaru returned to the hospital room Temari was in and waited for her to wake.

After what seemed like forever Temari opened her eyes. Shikamaru had fallen asleep in the chair next to her bed and when she realized he was sitting there she fought to hide the shade of red that appeared on her cheeks. With a single poke to the boy's forehead he awoke with a start. "Good morning sunshine." Temari said bluntly while Shikamaru frantically checked the time. They had fifteen minutes to get to the toad sage's grave. "Temari, we have to go. I'll explain everything on the way!" He then ran out of the room before questions had a chance to be asked so she had no choice but to follow.

By the time they arrived at their destination the sand kunoichi was completely caught up on what was going on. Although Shikamaru hadn't noticed it she had teared up a bit after finding out just how much he was risking to help her people. There were several figures up ahead and when he was close enough it became clear that Naruto had been busy since they departed. At the blonde's side were Hyuuga Hinata, Rock Lee and Akimichi Choji. They all nodded at the Temari as she fought back tears. Typically Temari was a fierce ninja with the emotional capacity of a boulder, but with how fast everything was coming at her she couldn't get her emotions in check.

"I cannot ask this of any of you. The fact that you could be exiled from your home is too much of a risk."

Before the girl could add more reasons why they should go back with her Shikamaru placed a finger on her lips. "None of us would've came if we didn't think the risk was worth it, Temari-Chan." Choji said before taking a handful of chips and shoving them into his mouth. They all nodded in agreement while Naruto stared at Choji's bag of chips with hungry eyes. "We don't turn our backs on friends, especially those friends that need help. This is our nindō, Temari. This is our ninja way." Shikamaru explained while trying to ignore the obvious emotion that had covered the kunoichi's face. Naruto then gestured for the girl to turn her attention to the groups' packs that were lying on the ground.

"We've got a long journey ahead of us so we better get the hell out of here!"

They all agreed and began picking up the packs and strapping them onto their packs. Choji elbowed his best friend and held out a pack to him. Shikamaru gave him a big grin before throwing it over his shoulder. "Thanks, Choji!" Leave it to his Akimichi counterpart to always be looking out for him. Lee began jumping up and down trying to stretch his legs, "Even though we have the fierce power of youth on our side we should stop for camp at the border of the Land of Wind!" He sounded so much like his sensei that it was kind of weird. Naruto was simply devouring a bag of Choji's chips with a fierceness that was a bit disturbing. Hinata watched him quietly and covered her mouth when she began to giggle.

"ALRIGHT! LETS GO!" The fox boy shouted before jumping into the trees and disappearing quickly. The rest of the group followed quickly while Shikamaru smiled and shook his head slowly. He had once told his dad, Shikaku, that Naruto would a valued ninja to Konoha one day and that when that happened he wanted walk that path by his side. This was that path. The whole group knew that they may never be able to go back home but forced it to the back of their heads. Shikamaru turned to Temari who just stood there still astonished by what they were sacrificing to help her village. "Hop on, we need to catch up." He said kneeling down in front of the blond kunoichi. "What?! Hell no! I don't need to be carried!" Temari scoffed while trying to look down her nose at him. The genius simply rolled his eye, "Shut up.. Don't be so stubborn, you know that you still haven't recovered from the trip here." With that he patted his own back in a very sarcastic way.

After several more attempts to argue Temari finally sighed in defeated and climbed on to his back. Shikamaru wrapped his arms around her legs and jumped into the trees and began sprinting to catch up with the rest of the group. There was a barely audible "thank you" whispered in his ear along the way and Shikamaru just smiled to himself. _This is our ninja way.. MY nindō._

**Author's Note's **

**Well I couldn't help but type the first chapter before crashing. I don't think it is as good as it should considering how sleep deprived I am. **

**Looking forward to reading the reviews and please tell me if this story is even worth reading!**

**Thanks!**


	3. Chapter 2

Chapter 2: Sprinting For the Sands

The group of ninja hadn't said very much since they had departed from the Toad Sannin's grave. Instead of talking they reflected on the decision they had just made and how it would affect them. Going against a direct order decreed by the Hokage was strictly forbidden no matter how ridiculous that order might be. Common punishment for such a crime typically results in being stripped of rank and serving time in jail. Now disobeying a direct order _and_ leaving the village is a whole different story. Danzō Shimura was a spiteful old man and was not going to react very well to them leaving. Honestly, the man was just crazy enough to declare them all traitors and if that happened, well, hopefully it wouldn't come to that.

Naruto couldn't shake the image of Haku impaling Zabuza's neck with several senbon. There was a stray thought chewing on his conscious that screamed that he would end up like that when all of this was over. Then he would shake it off replacing it with the memory of the villagers throwing him up in the air during the celebration after the battle with Pain. Surely they would understand him and his friends' reasons. They _had _to.

Lee hadn't really thought of the situation at all. With such a powerful sense of what is right and wrong, there were no repercussions that outweighed helping the Kazekage and his people. The fighter knew that if he didn't join Naruto and the others he wouldn't be able to live with himself if they were to fall in battle. Choji was on the fence, not knowing whether staying or going was a good idea. The force that pushed him was knowing that this was something Shikamaru wanted and he would never allow his best friend to walk into battle without him by his side.

Then there was Hinata, who bounded from tree to tree close to Naruto's side. Ever since the battle with Pain a bond was formed between the two, but neither could muster up the nerve to ask the other about it. The Hyuuga heir loved Naruto unconditionally and would always follow him into the face of danger. Besides that she really didn't have much to lose consider all she lived with was her father's constant disappointment in her. So leaving the village with Naruto to help Gaara and his people was a particularly easy choice for the Hyuuga girl.

"You alive back there?" Shikamaru asked quietly as he continued to bring up the back of group. "Somewhat. My legs fell asleep several hours ago. Oh and there is the fact that you have to be the most ungraceful person I have ever met." Apparently several hours of nothing but silence gave Temari the chance to get her emotions back in check because she was back to her normal self. "Your legs probably wouldn't be asleep if you'd quit trying to crush my rib cage with them.." The chunin retorted quickly with a grin spread across his facial features. It was good to be around the sand Jonin again even if it were for such unfortunate reasons.

Shikamaru had spent several months with Temari when they were getting ready for the chunin exams. They had gotten to know each pretty well and even though Shikamaru wouldn't even admit to himself much less anyone else he was attracted to the kunoichi. Depending on how this war went there was a possibility that they would spend a much longer time together.

Finally Lee dropped to the ground several paces ahead of the group. They had reached the border of land of fire in just under eight hours. Once on the ground Shikamaru dropped Temari to her feet only to watch her stumble until she landed flat on her back. The Nara boy squatted down with a dull expression looking at her with lazy eyes, "Not so graceful yourself." Temari simply rolled her eyes at the boy and stood up to stretch her stiff limbs out. As much as the kunoichi would've rather been running she did kind of enjoy being carried by Shikamaru. His hair had this smell that she for some reason became very partial to. Temari quickly vanquished the thoughts from her head, there was no time to be ogling over boy when her village was preparing for war.

Hinata had begun to pass around one of the small packs that had rations in it. Once everyone had a fair share of the food they sat in a circle and ate. "H-how is Gaara-sama?" Hinata asked the sand shinobi as they all chewed their food. It took a moment for Temari to reply because she remembered just how stressed her brother was before she left for Konoha. "He has been better but considering the situation I would say that he is doing well." She noticed that the mention of her brother had caused everyone to look up from their food to listen to how he was. They all cared for Gaara and had been curious as well, even Lee who was almost killed by him during the chunin exams.

"What actions has the Tsuchikage made since war was declared?"

Another question that was on everyone's minds, but it was Lee that beat everyone to the punch. While everyone turned their attention back to Temari Shikamaru simply laid down on the ground and closed his eyes. "The Tsuchikage has dispatched thirteen jonin-level squads to our sands. We located them about five days east of the village." The chunin who appeared to be sleeping took a mental note of the slight nervousness that saturated Temari's words. "We should take the fight to them!" Naruto shouted but was interrupted by Shikamaru's hand before he could continue. "Don't be stupid, Naruto-kun. Even your kage jutsu wouldn't be a match for that many highly ranked ninja. Our best bet is to regroup with Lord Kazekage and determine a strategic course of action."

The Hyuuga girl nodded quietly in agreement while Naruto simply crossed his arms and frowned. "It'd be a good idea to get some sleep. We are leaving again in a few hours." Shikamaru said smoothly before closing his eyes once again. It wasn't long before everyone had fallen asleep except for laziest ninja of them all. There was this odd feeling that had resonated in the pit of the leaf ninja's stomach. _Why did I do this? _It was that exact question that played itself over and over again in his mind. The answer was simple though, it wasn't to be a hero or because he was a friend of Gaara's. No, the reason he had came was laying several feet away from him. Still, Shikamaru could not shake the feeling that something bad was going to come of this.

"We are all going to be alright, Shikamaru-kun."

The words of Akimichi Choji washed over him and immediately erased that feeling. He didn't say anything but instead nodded slowly. That was how those two were, somehow always knowing what the other was going to do or what they were feeling. Wasn't that what best friends were supposed to do?

_Several hours later.._

"Shikamaru.. Shikamaru… HEY!" The boy awoke with a start after being violently shaken by none other than Temari. "Come on! The rest of us are ready to go!" With that she turned on her hill and walked over to where the others stood strapping their packs back on. "So bossy.." He muttered to himself as he rose and got ready to leave. "Temari-chan, you catching a ride again?" He asked the kunoichi as he joined the rest of his newly built team. Temari simply frowned at the chunin before pointing out that she was perfectly capable of running. "Besides I'd hate to break your frail ribs with my legs."

Within minutes they were back on track, zooming through the trees at blinding speeds. Just before dusk the sand village came into view as they trudged up and down giant hills of sand. "Glad to see this place again." Temari said smoothly listening to Naruto laugh at Choji as he struggled to get sand out of his sandals. As the group of comrades continued to trudge across the never-ending dunes of sand the fact that they may never be ninja of the leaf again finally began to sink in. _Nukenin…_

Just before they reached the huge gates that led into Sunagakure Lee spun around with a fierce expression. "Prepare yourselves friends! We have been followed!" At first Shikamaru didn't know what the bushy eyebrowed boy was talking about but it only took a matter of seconds for him to feel it too. "Temari-chan, take Hinata-chan and get to the village. Tell the Kazekage we are here and send backup." The two kunoichi nodded and disappeared while Shikamaru readied himself. Finally four figures appeared before them, their hitai-ate gleamed in evening twilight.

Naruto took a step forward to begin a rush but was seized by the arm by Choji before he could do anything, "Not yet, Naruto-kun. We should preserve our tricks to keep the element of surprise." The blond gave his big friend a traditional grin and stepped back. "This is going to be fun." He growled quietly as one of the taller ninja stepped closer.

"Identify yourselves or you will be engaged!"

The man's gruff voice echoed throughout the desert but it didn't strike up a reaction from any of the Konoha shinobi. Shikamaru shook his head and stepped forward as well, "You are on the wrong sand to be barking out orders like that." This seemed to hit a nerve because the man let out a low growl. "I will give you one last warn-" Shikamaru held up a hand and began to shake his head. "You are an enemy to this land. So I'll give _you_ one last warning. Leave or die." His voice was abnormally cold compared to his typical carefree attitude.

No one budged for several minutes to come and finally Naruto broke the silence, "I don't think they are goin' to give up." Both Lee and Choji agreed with what Uzumaki said in unison. Shikamaru gave a disgusted look and rubbed the back of his head, "Of course they won't.." The Nara prodigy's voice contained as much emotion as the brick walls that surround their hometown. _The setting sun has casted a lot of shadows, it's now or never. _"You were warned!"Choji shouted across the gap of sand that separated the two parties. A laugh that was the equivalent to a five year opening presents erupted from Naruto's chest.

Shikamaru immediately began performing hand seals with ridiculous speed, "Kagemane no Jutsu!" All of a sudden the shadow that was cast from his body came to life and shot across the desert. Being jonin-level ninja, Shikamaru knew that he wouldn't be able to catch all of them but when his jutsu latched onto two of men's shadows it was a little shocking. As soon as the shadow jutsu came into contact with the shadows of the Iwa ninja they both went deathly pale. Scare tactics were always effective so the chunin pulled a kunai from the sheath on his thigh and held it close to his own throat. There were gasps and shouts from the other two ninja when their comrades did the same, undeniable fear showing in their eyes. Within seconds the other two shinobi were engaged by both Lee and Naruto using mostly taijutsu moves. Choji on the other hand stood beside Shikamaru watching his back.

Even the most powerful shinobi were easily beaten if they had no knowledge of what they were about to face. That was fortunate because the two that Shikamaru had captured with his shadow imitation jutsu had chakra levels that rivaled even Naruto's. The boy closed his eyes for moment and took a deep breath, this was war and there were things that had to be done. To show the Tsuchikage that Sunagakure would not lie down would not be defeated. Another blinding set of hand seals were performed by Shikamaru, "Kage Nui no Jutsu!" With that several spear-shaped shadows erupted from their own shadows impaling them both directly through the chest. "It's over." Choji said quietly as the shadows receded and both lifeless corpses fell to the ground.

"RASENGAN!"

The two men that Lee had captured with his bandages fell to the ground as well. "Well that's that!" Naruto shouted with a grin while dusting his clothing off. Lee seemed just as upbeat, "We have prevailed!" They all knew this was just the beginning of a monster. They were all about to willingly walk into said monster's jaws. Several sand shinobi burst through the gates accompanied by Gaara, Kankuro and Temari. They all looked ready for a battle but that was short-lived once the group realized the quick work their allies had made of the enemy. Naruto gave a very enthusiastic thumbs up, "They never knew what hit 'em!"

_A short while later…_

The sand village was very grateful for their presence and put them up in the nicest apartments available. Kankuro had even told them to help themselves to whatever food the restaurants had to offer and put it on the Kazekage's tab, which was most likely where Naruto and Choji had disappeared to. Hinata and Lee took to exploring the village because they had never seen it up close and said they would be back by dinner. Shikamaru had found the bed given to him very inviting and decided to take a nap but before he could even fall asleep a messenger came and said the Kazekage and his siblings would like to see him.

Once in the main office the chunin found Temari and Kankuro both lazing about on the furniture while Gaara sat behind his desk with the utmost correct posture. "Good evening, Shikamaru-kun. I trust you are finding the accommodations hospitable." Gaara's voice was quiet and could be considered cold to most but Shikamaru knew that man meant well. "It is more than enough, Lord Kazekage. My comrades and I thank you and your people." With that being said he gave a slight bow. Gaara waved his hand dismissively, "It is us who should be thanking you. Temari-nēchan told me of your situation." It kind of surprising to the leaf ninja how informal Gaara was speaking; he had always imagined the guy to be uptight. "Our new Hokage has his own agenda. Our villages have an alliance that we will always honor." Gaara nodded and gave a weak smile which was probably about as good as it got for the guy. "The consequences could be harsh for you and your comrades." The young man simply nodded in agreement they had been trying to avoid thanking about that.

The Kazekage stood and looked out the window that had a spectacular view of most of the sand village. "Thank you all.." Shikamaru gave another slight bow knowing that Gaara was referring to them sacrificing everything and putting their lives on the line to help him and his people. Shikamaru was given the information about where to be tomorrow morning and they said their goodbyes. The boy slouched with his hands jammed in his pockets as he exited the Kazekage's tower, but only a few seconds after leaving there someone poked him in the ribs. It was Temari, "Come on, you're treating me to dinner!" With that being said she took the lead without giving him a chance to say anything.

"Kankuro-kun said we didn't have to pay?" His face presented a slightly sad expression as she ignored him and continued on to where they would apparently be eating. "I haven't been here a day and your already bossing me around again!"

**Author's Note's**

Thanks for the review, Trinity-Fenton Phatom! That is a pretty good idea and I very well may incorporate in later chapters once the war has really got started. I would also like to thank everyone who has read! I hope this chapter is pleasing! I would also like to add that Naruto was intended to be a main character in this story but the more I write I'm finding it more appropriate to leave him as a supporting character. This way I can focus more on Shikamaru's side of things!


	4. Chapter 3

Chapter 3: Climbing Silver

The nightlife in the village of sand was not too much different from that of Konoha. The streets were filled with a plethora of citizens and shinobi alike shopping, eating and of course, drinking. While everything appeared to be normal there was not a single person in the village that didn't have the fast approaching war on their mind. Maybe pretending that the oncoming war was just a figment of their imagination was just a way of coping with the whole situation. A way to still enjoy being around family and friends for a time without the sounds of battle filling the warm night air.

Dinner with Temari hadn't been near as awkward as Shikamaru had predicted it to be. It was filled with great food and good conversation that avoided the sensitive subjects. Before either of them had noticed several hours had passed and Temari decided that it was time to call it a night. Once they parted ways Shikamaru walked slowly through the busy streets taking in his surroundings. It wasn't long before Choji and Naruto came into view hunched over a table at one of the more popular ramen stands. It was sad that the Nara was not in the least bit surprised that they were still eating after several hours.

With a smooth stride Shikamaru walked up to the table and pulled a chair out beside the two and took a seat. "Kankuro-kun said to make yourselves feel at home _not _eat them out of house and home." They both looked up from their soup and over to the large stack of empty bowls beside the table. Naruto gave a awkward grin and rubbed the back of his head, "Maybe we got a little carried away.. You wouldn't believe how amazing this stuff tastes! I bet they would give old man Ichiraku a run for his money." The sudden image of the old man hitting him over the head sent chills running down the genin's back.

Shikamaru withdraw a cigarette from one of the pouches on his beat and placed it between his lips before lighting it with his late sensei's lighter. After a long drag he pulled it from his mouth and exhaled the smoke. "I thought you quit smoking after you avenged Asuma-sensei?" The Akimichi asked quietly while placing his last bowl on the stack. Shikamaru shrugged and looked at his two friends blandly, "Stressful situations bring back old habits."

It wasn't long before Hinata and Lee had found their way to where the rest of the group had been sitting. Naruto asked the Hyuuga girl a plethora of pointless questions about what they had been doing and if they found anything cool. Being the girl she was Hinata giggled at the boy's questions and savored being able to talk to him so much. After a while they began sharing stories and laughing with one another. Shikamaru leaned back in his chair and watched his friends laugh and enjoy each others' company with a grin on his face. They were just like the rest of the people in Suna, pretending that everything was alright and savoring the time lingering peace granted them.

Eventually they all headed back to the apartment Gaara had provided them for the duration of their stay in his village. Unfortunately there were only four bedrooms in the large home so Shikamaru volunteered to give up his room and rejected HInata's feeble attempts to just sleep on the couch. Of course, it would have been more appropriate if Naruto would have given up his room to her but the guy was so clueless about girls it wasn't even funny. After getting settled in everyone said their goodnights and the apartment slowly grew completely silent. One of Shikamaru's many talents was sleeping so after slipping into some more comfortable clothes and laying down on the couch he was asleep within minutes.

Slowly the boy woke up after what felt like only minutes but not in the room he had fallen asleep in. After rubbing the sleep from his eyes and blinking several times Shikamaru came to the realization that he was standing in the Nara clan main house. "Impossible.." He whispered after a astonished look bestowed his face. Quickly he burst from his room and continued running quickly throughout the entire household to find that no one was there. That was until he ran out into the courtyard to find the last person he ever thought he would find. Sitting with his legs crossed in front of him was none other than Sarutobi Asuma, a cigarette dangling loosely between his smiling lips. "S-sensei?!" Shikamaru managed to stammer while taking several slow steps forward.

"It's been a while, hasn't it? How about a game of shogi and we can catch up?" Asuma asked and patted the shogi board gently that sat in front of him. Still in shock his former student sat down on the other side of the board, never taking his eyes off Asuma. "Don't ask questions." His request was sincere and as much as it killed Shikamaru to he nodded. Quietly the man picked up one of his pieces and made the first move. Being just as silent Shikamaru began to focus on the game and quickly moved one of his pieces. This process continued without a word for about ten minutes until his teacher finally broke the silence. "Quite a bit has happened since I died. I mean with the village being destroyed and you leaving for Sunagakure."

The chunin looked up quickly in fear that his role-model and teacher was angry with him but all he saw was Asuma's smiling face. "The old man that is Hokage now… He is a tyrant. We couldn't stand idly by while our allies suffered." Shikamaru explained in a feeble attempt to justify his new team's decision. Asuma only nodded while they continued to make moves on the shogi board. Suddenly Shikamaru grimaced and Asuma jumped to his feet shouting with joy. "I may have did it in the afterlife but I finally WON!" His immense joy radiated from his loud shouts while his student simply stared at the board in shock.

Finally the man sat back down trying to catch his breath and Shikamaru looked up at him. "Climbing silver? I thought you hated that move, Sensei?" The question made Asuma's giant smile slowly melt into a very serious expression. "I was wrong when I explained my reasons for not liking it. Sacrifice is sometimes unavoidable when you are trying to do the right thing." He stood up and motioned for the boy to come closer. Once Shikamaru did, Asuma simply placed his hand on top of his head. "You have grown into a amazing shinobi, Shikamaru. What you and your friends did proves this. I know it will be hard but never let anyone tell you otherwise, my student." Shikamaru stared at his feet as emotions began to overwhelm him.

"I miss you…" It came out as a whisper and Asuma closed his eyes and let the words sink in. "I know and I miss all of you." He then slumped down on the stairs and looked up at Shikamaru. "You are the one that carries my legacy now, Shikamaru. With what has happened I couldn't be more proud of you. It's time for me to go, tell Kurenai-chan I'm sorry." With that his old sensei disappeared in a cloud of cigarette smoke just like last time. Before Shikamaru could shout for him to come back he woke up on the couch once again.

The boy bolted upright and desperately looked around for his sensei but realized that it was just a dream. _It felt so real.._ The sun peaked over the sandy hills of the desert and began to shine through the window which signaled that it was time to get ready. It didn't take long for the others to stir but by that time Shikamaru was already dressed and smoking a cigarette quietly on the balcony that overlooked the village. "Shikamaru-kun, we must not keep the Kazekage waiting!" Lee said quickly as he opened the door to leave.

Once the team reached the tower massive groups of shinobi were already waiting out front. They merged with the large group and couldn't help but feel a bit out of place, but eventually they located Temari at the front motioning them to come forth. By the time Shikamaru had weaved his way through the maze of men and women and reached Temari the Kazekage had already made his way out to address his subordinates.

"I trust you all have taken the off time to get as much rest as possible. Three days ago Kankuro led a reconnaissance team to locate a large group of ninja deployed by Iwagakure. At this time the group was four days away from our village. A patrol reported as of several hours ago this same group was located six hours east. I have put together three teams that will be led by Kankuro and Konohagakure's Nara Shikamaru. These teams will engage our enemies and prevent them from getting any close."

Whispers erupted throughout the ranks as panic seemed to silently set in. No one had expected for the enemy to be so close this early. Shikamaru simply stood speechless only to be patted on his shoulder by Temari, "My brother trusts you." He simply looked at her for a moment and then nodded still not knowing what to say. The kunoichi grabbed him by the hand and led him through the rest of the crowd up to where her brother stood. The physical contact sent a tingle all the way up Shikamaru's arm and after a moment Temari realized what she was doing and jerked her hand back trying to hide a blush. Gaara gestured his attention towards a document in his hand,

"You will be leading teams comprised of only my best ninja while Kankuro takes a squad of ANBU. None of the other ninja of the leaf were placed on these teams. I need another reconnaissance team to scout out another suspected area and your comrades are perfect for this task."

Shikamaru agreed with his superior but he knew that his friends would not take well to this situation. He allowed Gaara to tell them to avoid what was to come. His team was supposed to already be assembled by the gates of the village so he quickly left to join them. It didn't surprise him at all to see that Temari was following, "Lead on, _Captain_." She chirped with a playful sarcasm.

The chunin's squads turned towards him when he arrived at the gates. "We have heard much about your genius, Captain Shikamaru." One of the jonin explained and was only answered with a polite smile. "Our objective will take several hours to reach. Is everyone ready?" His voice eerily reminded him of Asuma and after that dream last night it hit very close to home. Once all of the sand ninja indicated them were ready his voice filled the air once more. "Temari-Chan and I will lead, no matter what happens do not break formation."

The gates opened with a extremely loud clanking noise filled the air that could only be the rusting gears grinding together. Once open the squads mobilized with Shikamaru and Temari at front. The war was about to begin!

**Author's Note's**

**Sorry that I cut this chapter short and that it wasn't very good. I really wanted to put a lot of detail into the battle ahead so I decided that I would give it a chapter all to itself. I hope that this story is interesting enough to keep your attention! Also if any of you have ideas that may make this plot even better do not hesitate to PM me your ideas!**

**Reviews are encouraged!**


	5. Chapter 4

Chapter 4: Sins of the Jashinist

The desert sun burned bright over the massive dunes of sand that in most cases shielded Sunagakure from harm. The dark side of these giant hills casted large shadows over the hot sands while a group of blurs sped across the extreme terrain with great ease and speed. Once reaching one of the large dark spots that hid them away from the sun the group slowed to a stop to rehydrate and rest their bodies. It had been a little over an hour since Shikamaru had mobilized his men by the Kazekage's order, but the heat seemed to evaporate the chakra from their bodies while moving at such speeds so their captain deemed it a good idea to take small breaks every so often. Not because they couldn't keep going, but what was the point of going to war if your chakra was already zapped for battling the sun?

While the men sat down to rest their legs and adjust their cowls Shikamaru climbed to the top of the next dune they had to conquer and looked out over the horizon. _We are getting close.._ The young man said to himself as he continued to stare out to into the vast desert. Temari found herself standing at his side and bumping his hand with her canteen, "Drink, Shikamaru-kun. I wouldn't want you being the laughing stock of the shinobi world for dropping from dehydration before we even got to our objective." The only reply the kunoichi received was the most emotionless stare she had ever laid eyes on. He took the canteen and put it to his chapped lips letting the warm water pour down his throat. It wasn't a very big drink and Temari knew he was still thirsty but wasn't going to try and argue with him. She knew what Shikamaru was doing, the less he drank was more water for her. Why did he have to be such a gentleman?!

The newly appointed mission captain finally sat down and crossed his legs in the direction of his resting squad. "All of the men the Kazekage sent are jounin-level and above. Shinobi who know these lands and understand the type of warfare needed to succeed on it. Why did he choose me, the _chunin _ranked foreigner, to lead them in such a crucial mission?" Shikamaru asked Temari who had sat down beside him. She should know considering that the very man who put him in this position was her own blood. "Gaara has never made a wrong decision when it comes to protecting our people. You are known, Shikamaru-kun. Your achievements against such impossible odds have not fallen to the blind side of anyone. Gaara said you were the only one capable making this mission a success." She explained while absent mindedly running her fingers through the sand. "Do you believe him?" Shikamaru asked with a blunt tone. As hard as he tried to hide it Temari could tell he was unsure of himself. "You were trained by the fabled Sarutobi Asuma, the son of the third Hokage. You were instrumental in the defeat of _two_ S-ranked criminals. Do I believe my brother? I never question the Kazekage's decisions." Of course she wasn't going to give Shikamaru a outright answer, but he got the point.

"I have been running through several different ways of approaching this battle and I've only found one that has the minimal possibility of casualties. Chances are when we reach our objective they will already be traveling once again which means they will be on the lookout for us. While this could complicate things I think if we were to circle around the enemy squads and flank from all directions we will be successful. The key in all of this will be having some sort of cover.." Shikamaru quickly changed from a ninja who doubted his ability to lead into the strategist that he truly was. Temari was impressed that he had thought so far ahead and grinned confidently. "Leave that to me, you'd be surprised how frequently sandstorms happen around these parts." While she spoke her hand was gently patting the giant fan that was strapped to her back. Shikamaru felt like a idiot for not thinking of that earlier but nodded in agreement with what she was insinuating. Tessenjutsu worked perfectly with the rest of the strategy the chunin had designed in his head, not to mention Kankuro's puppets. He and his squad of ANBU operatives were a just a little south of them coming in on their targets from a different direction.

"Well we better go, don't want be late to this party." Shikamaru said with more enthusiasm than his typical tone was laced with. Temari stood up and brushed the sand from her clothing, "From what I hear you are late to everything." The young ninja got to his feet as well and started down the slope to his squads. "I'm trying to break that habit!" He shouted over his shoulder from the bottom of his hill. Once the ninja of the sand saw the captain was there they all stood to attention. "If my calculation are correct the group we are after are only a hour ahead of us. So we need to move as quickly as possible to stop them from advancing any further." The leaf ninja said sternly as his subordinates all nodded in agreement. With that being said the squads mobilized once again, moving ever closer to a battle that would change everything.

As always, Shikamaru's math was spot on because just after a hour they all began to sense dim chakra patterns ahead. "They are about a mile ahead of us. I want to flank from all directions so move to your designated position and be sure to keep your com on at all times. If you see something that may affect the strategy we discussed relay it immediately!" Suddenly all the shinobi disappeared to reach their positions. Shikamaru turned to his new partner, "Temari-chan, once we get close enough hang back and use that fan jutsu of yours when I give the signal." The kunoichi mock saluted him with a sly grin displayed on her delicate features. _Why does she have to be so troublesome.._ They continued to trudge ahead for what seemed like forever until Shikamaru grabbed her by the arm with urgency. "They are here." He whispered and Temari knew immediately what she had to do as she watched the squad captain sneak forward. There was a new feeling surging through her that the girl couldn't explain. Temari never worried about anyone other than her siblings but now here she was almost praying that Shikamaru didn't get injured or worse. It was bugging her so much that she had to convince herself that pulling out her hair would not help the situation.

Several leaps and Shikamaru found himself peeking over to top of another dune down at his targets. _There is only twelve.. I could of swore there were supposed to be four teams._ Despite having few numbers there were two in the middle of the group that had an almost overwhelming level of chakra radiating from their bodies. Most likely serving as a warning to anyone that might have thought to approach them. The most troublesome thing of all was that all of the ninja were wearing cloaks that hid their faces making it impossible for Shikamaru to identify any of them. Although he couldn't see any of their faces the chunin couldn't shake the feeling that one of those chakra patterns were vaguely familiar. Laying flat against the sand Shikmaru brought his finger up to the com that was strapped to his neck, "Alright, Temari-chan."

Temari pulled the fan from her back and unfolded it to reveal its full glory, all three stars showing. "Fūton: Kazekiri no Jutsu." Her command and hand seals were flawless. With the requirements done she swung the steer fan as hard as she could and a violent wind shot forward carrying a mass of sand down into the valley with it. The group looked stunned when they were enveloped in the sand and the screams that occurred next were evidence of a successful surprise attack. Shikamaru quickly jumped from the hill with Asuma's chakra blades activated. With smooth moves that almost looked like a dance the boy weaved throughout his enemies cutting them and blocking their attacks. It became obvious that Temari had joined the fight when another wind style jutsu flew through removing the sand knocking two earth ninja to the ground. That was when it happened.

"Not this little shit again!" A familiar voice shouted and when the source removed his cloak Shikamaru almost fell to his knees in shock. It was Hidan, the very Akatsuki member Shikamaru had buried over a year ago. "You look shocked! I told you I would be back!" The former Akatsuki member shouted viciously followed by a manic laugh that would give children nightmares for the rest of their lives. "Your precious forest isn't as guarded as you claimed. It seems Iwagakure was able to find me without a single problem." They must have infiltrated the forest when Pain's devastation was at its worst. Still not able to speak, Shikamaru gripped the trench knives in his hands tightly. The man opened his cloak to reveal a large seal printed across his chest. "After the desperate bastards stitched me up their leader put a seal on me. This way if I betrayed them they could bury me again, but that is not a worry now. The very fucking thing I was wanting just came running to me!" Hidan shouted with a evil grin before pointing his three bladed scythe at the young boy.

"The only way Jashin will have mercy as if I mutilate you!" The immortal licked his lips menacingly before sending the scythe flying at Shikamaru. Barely able to dodge the attack, Shikamaru jumped over the oncoming blade and landed in a crouch several yards away. "Fūton: Kazekiri no Jutsu!" The shout sounded dangerously angry and the blades of wind that flew over Shikamaru at Hidan were even more fierce. "Damnit!" The cultist shouted as he rolled out of the way and sent his scythe flying at Temari. "Take this you stupid bitch!" To Shikamaru's horror the tip of the scythe cut Temari's leg and she fell to the ground. "No!" He shouted desperately as he launched himself at Hidan but was intercepted by a windmill shuriken that buried itself into the ninja's shoulder. A scream of pain echoed throughout the battlefield as Shikamaru fell to the ground, but before the owner of the shuriken could finish the job something large landed in front of the injured warrior.

"Kuroari!" Kankuro shouted fiercely as his puppet pointed its arms at the enemy ninja and launched a barrage of needles that impaled them. The ANBU were making quick work of most of the Iwagakure warriors but Hidan had already licked his blade and drawn the Jashir ritual diagram. Just before Kankuro sent Kuroari at Hidan Shikamaru's voice boomed, "Stand down!" His tone was desperate as he climbed to his feet trying to hide the immense pain that generated from the giant shuriken sticking from his shoulder. "Temari will die if you attack him!" His tone was desperate and fortunately all of the squads stood down. The few remaining shinobi of earth country stood close to Hidan as he grinned at Shikamaru. "The bitch is Jashin's now!" Temari had limped down to where Shikamaru stood but once she had reached his side she froze in fear. Gaara had showed them this Akatsuki member's profile that went into detail on the ritual he had just preformed on her. This wasn't at all what she expected to happen they attacked the group.

Hidan quickly realized just how outnumbered they were and grumbled lowly. "Well boy, considering how weak these maggots I must serve are I will make you a deal. You give me what I want and I will spare the girl and take her back to the Tsuchikage, a prisoner of war you could say." Shikamaru was shaking with rage as he stared into the eyes of his sensei's killer. He had already lost one of the most important people to him due to underestimating this man and that was not going to happen again. "What do you want? Just.. Just don't hurt her." Temari, astonished, stared at Shikamaru as he spoke. Hidan simply pointed at him, "Jashin wants your blood! You die, she lives." He said with yet another one of those laughs. Shikamaru closed his eyes for a moment and listened to Temari beg him not take the deal.

"Temari… Shut up." He said quietly as he looked back up the man he had already killed once. "Do it, but if you don't follow through on the deal my men _will_ destroy you." The evil cultist replied with a loud shout of psychotic joy and sent his scythe flying towards Shikamaru. It all seemed to happen in slow motion after the blade penetrated his chest. His ebony hair fell from its usual style into his face as his body hit the warm sand. Shikamaru's vision was very blurry but he could make out Temari's face as she hunched over his body. There was something cool hitting his face, the kunoichi was crying. He weakly raised his hand and touched her face gently for a brief moment, "They will save you.." He whispered and then fell unconscious. The last thing he heard was Temari's shrill scream filling the desert sky.

_Sometime later…_

Shikamaru suddenly shot upright and starred around with a desperate look on his face. His hands immediately found his chest and all he felt was some very sore tissue but no lacerations. "SHIKAMARU!" Choji shouted from where he sat beside the bed, tears streaming down his face. Suddenly his bed was surrounded by all of his friends and Naruto's loud voice filled the room, "We thought you were a goner for sure!" Shikamaru stared at all of his friends as his vision finally cleared and that was when he realized that the Kazekage and his brother were there as well. "Temari-chan.. Where is she?" Everyone seemed to shy away from that question except for Gaara.

"Hidan took her back Iwagakure."

**Author's Note's**

**Well guys, I hope this chapter was pleasing. The appearance of Hidan was something I thought would add a great twist to the plot. Let me know what you think! **

**Thanks!**


	6. Chapter 5

Chapter 5: Reopened Scars

Things had taken a drastic turn. This was not a just a ally's war anymore, oh no, it was much more personal than that now. Shikamaru was no stranger to this pain or the person who caused it, but that did nothing to lessen it. After Gaara broke the news to the injured ninja he fell back against his pillow and shut completely down. This was how the Nara heir coped with things, bottling every single emotion up inside and shutting everyone out. Eventually his friends realized their words were making no difference and followed the Kazekage out of the room, dropping their heads in defeat. Choji being the most conflicted of them all; Shikamaru was always the one who reassured him that everything would work out not the other way around.

Shikamaru just laid there and stared at the ceiling for what seemed like several hours. He had failed _again_. First Hidan had taken Asuma from him and now he had Temari in his evil grasp. _The bitch is Jashin's now._ Hidan's words were now permanently etched into his mind and echoed over and over again. Finally Shikamaru climbed out of the hospital bed to find that he hadn't recovered near as well as he had previously thought. An excruciating pain shot up through his sternum into his right shoulder, the bandages turning a light pink color from a small amount of blood escaping what was left of his wounds. One of the medic ninja ran over to defiant patient and asked for him to please get back in bed but Shikamaru simply limped past as if no one had spoke to him.

Despite only having the bottom half of his attire on and a massive amount of bandages across his chest and shoulder, Shikamaru walked out of the medical department into the warm sunshine. The streets were busier than ever and several of the citizens that were passing by stopped and looked at him. They all knew who he was, the one who sacrificed himself for the Kazekage's sister. Shikamaru didn't have any idea where he was going but still continued down the street at a very slow pace. It wasn't until he found himself in front of Temari's house that was in a secluded corner of the village that the chunin snapped out of his daze. Without thinking he immediately walked up the steps and knocked on the door several times. Nothing. Again the boy knocked and still nothing happened. It was right then and there that truth finally sank in, Shikamaru had lost Temari because he didn't take in all of the possibilities before engaging the enemy. A flaw in his strategy had resulted in a major loss for not only him but the entire village.

Finally Shikamaru turned and pressed his back against the wooden door before slowly sliding down in a sitting position. For the first time in a long time the boy had no idea what to do, did Gaara even want him here anymore after causing such a major problem. He pulled his knees up to his chest and placed his face against them trying his best to ignore the throbbing pain it caused.

"By the time we got you back to the village you were basically dead, Shikamaru-kun. No pulse, no heartbeat there was not a single thing alive. It is unbelievable that the medics were able to bring you back. Those kinds of things just don't happen."

Shikamaru looked up to see Temari's younger brother, Kankuro, standing in front of him holding a bag under one arm while the other one was draped behind his head. "What you did for my sister.. Thank you." His tone was soft and it was obvious that the puppet master was fighting off the emotion just as much as Shikamaru was. "Don't thank me, Hidan still has Temari." The leaf ninja mumbled before slowly standing to his feet. Kankuro nodded grimly and then dropped the bag at Shikamaru's feet. "I know. That's why we don't need to be wasting time standing here talking. That bag has some new clothes in it considering yours weren't in the best shape by the time the medic got done cutting them off. Gaara wants to see you so I'd suggest you put them on and head to the tower." Kankuro disappeared in a cloud of smoke leaving Shikamaru alone once again. The bag consisted of another black long sleeve shirt and Sunagakure's signature flak jacket that looked identical to his except with a beige color.

Kankuro was right he didn't die for a reason and that reason was to get Temari back safely, or that is what Shikamaru told himself. The boy quickly pulled the new clothing on and made his way to the Kazekage's tower. The trip took a bit longer than it normally would considering he couldn't move to quickly because of his injuries, but he finally reached his destination. One of the ANBU operatives guided him into Gaara's office to find all of his friends standing there waiting on him. "A message came from Konoha today." Lee said quickly before handing him the scroll.

Not even taking the time to say anything Shikamaru unraveled the scroll and read what it contained. It was sent by Hatake Kakashi and explained that Danzō was threatening to deem them all traitors of the hidden leaf if they didn't return within the next day. Shikamaru calmly rolled up the scroll and dropped his arms to his side gazing at his comrades who all had dawned worried expressions. "I need you all to go back." He said smoothly. "WHAT?!" Naruto screeched while the others seemed just as astonished at Shikamaru's sudden request. "The hidden leaf has to know that the Akatsuki might be involved in this." He tried to make it sound as if he needed them to go back to take a message, but that wasn't it at all. "You can't expect us to go back and leave you here to fight?!" Choji asked sternly while Naruto looked like his head was going to explode.

"Someone has to convince the old man that Suna needs our help. If anyone can do it you four can." Shikamaru explained in an attempt to convince them to go. Naruto sighed in defeat and nodded while staring at the ground. "B-but what about you, Shikamaru-san?" Hinata stepped forward and asked with a louder tone than usual. The Nara heir shook his head, "I have something I have to do." They all knew he was referring to Temari so there were no more questions. Hugs were exchanged as well as goodbyes before they all began to leave the room. "You can count on us to bring back help!" Lee said giving his friend a thumbs up before disappearing through the door. The only one that was left was Choji who looked as if he were going to cry. "Don't die, okay?" He requested between loud sniffles. Shikamaru gave him a grin and nodded. The large Akimichi boy grabbed his hand placed his hitai-ate in it and then followed the rest of the group out.

Shikamaru starred at his hitai-ate that Choji must of took while he was in the hospital before Gaara spoke up, "You sent them back because you didn't want them to get hurt." He nodded before glancing up at the Kazekage, "Hidan is a monster. Something that aside from me only Naruto-kun has the experience to face, but it would be safer for them to travel with him back to Konoha." He said thoughtfully and then walked closer to where Gaara was sitting. It was true, Naruto and Shikamaru were two of the few that had faced any member of the fabled Akatsuki alone and lived to fight another day. Naruto had a large amount of support in the village so it was not ridiculous to think that he and their friends could bring back aid.

"One of our sleeper cells in Iwagakure sent word that the group your squads ambushed never returned to the village. This leads me to believe that there is some sort of base camp between here and the border." While Gaara explained his thoughts to the remaining ninja from Konoha Kankuro had unraveled a map and placed it on top of the desk they were around. He pointed out two areas on the giant picture of the land of wind, "I have dispatched a reconnaissance squad to each of these areas." Shikamaru stared at the map and let all of the information he had just received sink in. It made sense for the base to be at either locations due to its idea distance to the border and close proximity to necessary resources. They were close enough to the border that if needed to retreat or gather supplies it wasn't a impractical journey, and there was also a river near both that made it ideal for gathering food and water.

Kankuro tapped his fingers on the map for several long moments before continuing, "Lucky for us, Gaara stationed several check points near these areas shortly after taking up the role as Kazekage, so that is where the squads were deployed from." The slight grin that grew across his features was proof that young man was proud of what he had done. Shikamaru took a seat beside Gaara and tied the hitai-ate around his neck while continuing to stare at the map. "We should of have word of their findings within the day." Gaara said quietly and folded his arms across his chest. Shikamaru knew that this was gnawing at his conscious just as much as the rest of them.

There was nothing to but wait so Shikamaru and the Kazekage spent the evening formulating detailed extraction strategies that were unique to each location. Shikamaru had a stray thought that lingered in the back of his head the entire time they worked. What if they never went back across the border because Hidan disposed of Temari already? Impossible, the Tsuchikage would want some sort of gambling piece once the war really got started. Not to mention Hidan's obvious fear of the seal that one of the Iwagakure seal masters placed on him. No, they _had_ to be at one of these locations. It was a small hope but Shikamaru was going to cling to it for dear life.

By the time the sun had submerged below the horizon Shikamaru laid back in the chair and closed his eyes. A desperate attempt to calm his nerves that were, at this point, severely on edge. Gaara was standing at the large window that overlooked the village once again gazing out of it like he did on a normal basis. "You care for my sister, don't you?" Gaara's sudden question caused Shikamaru's breath to catch in his throat for a moment. He really didn't know how to answer that question so he only replied with a mere nod. "I'm referring to the feelings you two share for one another. It is easy to detect when you are in the same room." He had seen right through Shikamaru's act and this was _troublesome._

Despite how hard the chunin tried to deny it he did have feelings for Temari. Any doubts he had that they were not real were erased when Hidan took her hostage, they became so strong that it demanded Shikamaru's acknowledgement. All he wanted was to bring her back to the village safely and he would gladly lay his life down once again to do so. "I guess you're right, Lord Kazekage." Temari was bossy, aggressive, quiet scary and Shikamaru had feelings for her. This most definitely redefined the word troublesome. "You should inform her of this once we get her back." His suggestion seemed more dangerous than sneaking into a enemy camp to rescue her. Much to his own surprise, Shikamaru nodded in agreement. It made sense to do because they were at war which meant that any given time they could be killed.

It wasn't long after that extremely awkward conversation that Kankuro burst through the door with a scroll in hand. Without a word he ran up to the map and drove a kunai directly into one of the locations they had been studying. "They are holding her there!" He said while trying to catch his breath. The boy must have run all the way from where the messenger hawk had landed. Gaara turned to Shikamaru, "Baki will stand in as commanding officer, and we three are going to proceed with the mission." He then instructed the two to be sure to gather enough supplies before opening the door to leave. Just before the Kazekage disappeared he called over his shoulder,

"We leave tonight."

**Author's Note's**

**I know, I know. Not the best chapter but I have a lot of things planned for the upcoming rescue mission so the next chapter should make up for this one. Tell me what you think!**


	7. Chapter 6

Chapter 6: A Savior's Touch

Considering the injuries that Shikamaru had previously sustained a mission of this magnitude probably wasn't something a medic-nin would advise, but desperate times called for desperate measures. The chunin immediately returned to the hospital after Gaara had explained their mission and received some last minute medical jutsu from the medic-nin who had been tasked with taking care of him while he was unconscious. As the chakra progressively healed the young man's injuries he could immediately feel the throbbing pain in his chest begin to recede.

Once he had finished his business at the hospital he rushed to his temporary apartment to gather up what supplies he deemed necessary. Just before Shikamaru reached the apartment complex a shadowy figure of a man stepped out and held his hand in front of him gesturing for Shikarmaru to stop. The man wore a tan cloak and had a cowl that covered one half of his face completely with the village symbol on the forehead. The chunin immediately recognized him as Baki, the Sand siblings' jonin sensei.

"Shikamaru-san, I must ask you a favor.."

_How troublesome.. There isn't any time for this._ Shikamaru's expression was the definition of displeasure but he acknowledged the ninja before him. "What is it you need, Baki-san?"

"I know what you did for her in the desert and I thank you whole-heartedly, as does the rest of the village. I must ask you to… to please bring Temari-sama back safely." As the Baki spoke his body began to visibly shake for several moments, but the sand ninja quickly reined his emotions in once more.

This seemed to catch Shikamaru off guard as he stood staring at one of the highest ranking council members of the sand with wide eyes. He suddenly bowed and stared at the ground for several moments. "I will bring her back, Baki-san. Even if it kills me." He stared at the ground for several more seconds trying to hide the guilt that consumed his entire being. It was he who caused the Village of Sand and it's people pain before of his failure to bring back his squad safely. The hand that planted itself firmly on his shoulder snapped him out of his thoughts and back to reality.

"I believe you, Shikamaru-san."

With that being said, Baki disappeared leaving a cloud of smoke beside the still bowing Shikamaru. Once he realized the man was gone he slowly straightened up and took a deep breath in an attempt to get a handle on his emotions as well. It was never a good thing for a shinobi to rush into the face of a possibly fierce battle thirsty for revenge and distressed from missing someone. That was not Shikamaru's style and it never would be.

It didn't take long to grab his supplies since Lee had left most of it in several packs on the couch when you first enter the room. So after stuffing several rations into said packs the chunin strapped one to his side and the other to his back. With a poof of smoke, Shikamaru headed to the front gate where the team was supposed to meet.

The young man thought he might've been early until he felt someone's hand smack him on the back several times. It was Kankuro and Gaara was standing next to him with his large gourd strapped to his back, his expression practically unreadable. "Let us leave, the sooner we get the there the better the chances of finding Temari alive are." Gaara then motioned for them to follow and walked outside the gates into the endless dunes of sand that Shikamaru found most troublesome when traveling. Kankuro slapped the chunin on the back once again, "Don't worry, we won't make you travel by foot again. With Gaara here we are gonna travel in _style_."

Shikamaru had no idea what the puppeteer was talking about until Gaara raised one hand the sand beneath their feet began to shift. With his best façade, Shikamaru hid his surprise behind a mask of complete boredom once they were high in the air on what looked to be a floating cloud of sand. Just as face as they rose the cloud shot forward in the direction of their objective. At the rate they were moving they were going to turn a day's journey into several hours of flight.

As Gaara steered the cloud and kept them from falling to what could be their deaths Shikamaru had sat down and began to explain the strategy they were going to use to Kankuro. It was pretty simple as long as everything ran smoothly. The camp they were going to infiltrate was a temporary post meaning that it was completely comprised of sandstorm-resistant tents. By the time they would arrive it would be in the early hours of the morning which meant that aside from the ninja on guard duty, most would be asleep. Shikamaru and Kankuro's job was to sneak in and take out the ninja that were standing guard at what might be a prison tent and then simply replace it with a identical clone. If they could silently do this it should not be hard to find Temari, considering the forces had no idea they had been located. Gaara's job was to stand outside and watch their backs and once the party was clear of the enemy camp, bury the place with everyone in it.

Of course, it was easier said than done. Shikamaru's predictions were spot on when they arrived at their destination within several hours. Once on the ground they crawled up and peaked over a dune's peak down at the camp they were to infiltrate. "Do not engage unless you must. Shikamaru-san is in no condition to battle and we are very outnumbered." Gaara's voice was low and soft but the other two nodded in agreement and initiated the plan.

They sprint down the side of the dune and left Gaara to fulfill his part of the strategy. There was a barrier built around the camp made from logs that were apparently brought from the land of earth but they were easy to jump over with a little bit of chakra. Once inside, Shikamaru split from Kankuro and found the first suspicious tent. A silent cut was made in the back of the tent with a kunai before he crawled inside the tent and using the shadows to conceal him. _Wrong tent._ This one only contained a desk with several scrolls and a lit candle on it. After the necessary hand seals Shikamaru's shadow reached out and captured the guard at the opening of the tent. After that he simply made the man take several steps backwards and then infused more chakra causing a shadowy hand to reach up and cover ninja's mouth.

"Too easy.. Where are you keeping the prisoner?"

The man simply shut his eyes and ignored the boy which caused a sudden ruthlessness to surge throughout the chunin's body. Never once had he had the desire to kill a man that was as strong as it was now. A swift slash to the throat with a kunai sent the man to the ground in a crumpled heap. Another set handeseals and a clone that looked identical to the man who laid dead before him took his position at the front of the tent. Shikamaru approached the desk to find several scrolls that looked like messages from the Tsuchikage and battle plans. He would've been stupid not to take them so he quickly stuffed them into the pack on his side and crawled out of the tent.

"Hey!" The voice caused Shikamaru to freeze in his tracks as he was attempting to move on to the next tent. Luckily, before the alerted guard could sound the alarm Crow, Kankuro's puppet, appeared behind him and stuck one of the hidden blades through his chest. No sign of where Kankuro was controlling the puppet, Shikamaru simply gave Crow a nod and moved on to the next tent.

This process continued for what seemed like forever until he reached a small tent that had a familiar feeling about it. It had to be where Temari was being held. Infiltrating the tent and killing the guard had been just as easily as the last five he had done. Although, having that many henged clones out was quickly draining his already weak chakra reserves so he had to make it fast. Temari was tied to a huge log and had seals all over her arms and legs, most likely to cut off her chakra supply. Dropping to his knees, Shikamaru pulled the bag they had draped over her head away to reveal many cuts and bruises that sent rage pulsing throughout his entire being.

The kunoichi slowly opened her eyes and stared at Shikamaru with what looked like a very puzzled expression. He quickly cut her restraints and she immediately reached out and touched his face, her face still contorted in confusion. "I-I must be dreaming.. I watched you die." Her voice was barely audible due to the lack of energy and severe dehydration. The chunin took her hand in his and gave her a grin, "Dying is far too troublesome, let's go home " He then hoisted her on to his back and was just fixing to exit the tent when several voices resounded from beside the tent. They seemed to be having some sort of heated argument so Shikamaru found it wise to eavesdrop so he stopped and crouched down. Temari had passed out once again on his back, but Shikamaru could still feel her strong heartbeat against his chest so he knew she was okay.

"Lord Tsuchikage really went all out to make sure we have enough force to take out the sand.."

"Yeah, but it doesn't make any sense. We had an alliance with the sand."

"Who cares with those two Akatsuki members working with us, we will be unbeatable!"

"They scare the shit out of me, I'm glad they were called back to the village.."

That was all that could be heard before Kankuro and his puppets easily dispatched the group of shinobi. There was no time to think about what he had just heard, Temari needed medical assistance. With several strides he emerged from the tent to find Kankuro waiting for him. The puppeteer practically glowed with joy when he noticed that his sister was on Shikamaru's back but knew that this was no time for celebration. Shikamaru crouched to his knee and touched the radio that was strapped to his neck and began whispering into the com.

"Hidan isn't here. We are going to need some cover to get out of here without someone tailing us."

After he spoke there was only silence in reply before sand began whirl around them. _Sandstorm, how troublesome._ Shikamaru quickly pulled the cowl wrapped around his neck over his head and face before standing back up and motioning for Kankuro to follow. By the time they entered the main path leaving the camp the sandstorm that Gaara had created was so thick that it was almost impossible to see anything, but they finally managed to find their way out. Once they reached where Gaara had stood waiting, several rough coughs erupted from Shikamaru while he brushed the stray particles of sand from Temari's unconscious face.

Being the Kazekage, Gaara was able to put Temari in the best hospital room they had and had three of his best medic-nins taking very good care of her. The seals that had been placed on her limbs were easily removed but left open wounds in their wake so bandages were necessary. It didn't take long for them to find several broken ribs as well as a shattered forearm, but with such powerful medical jutsu being used the breaks were easily mended. Then there was the severe dehydration and concussion that she had sustained, several I.V.'s were placed in her arms to replenish her body's necessary fluids. All in all, Temari had several weeks of rest and recovery ahead of her.

It had been two days since Gaara and his team had returned from rescuing Temari. In that time Shikamaru had helped examine the battle plans they had stolen and discussed the matter of the Akatsuki being hired by Iwagakure. As if having to deal with Hidan once again was enough there was yet another S-ranked criminal fighting to destroy the Sand Village. It was hard to say who it was but one thing was for sure, they were powerful.

Shikamaru had made it a daily routine since they had gotten back to go sit in Temari's hospital room after he had finished discussing battle tactics with Gaara. The kunoichi had yet to wake up so the visits typically persisted of Shikamaru talking to her unconscious body or cloud watching through the window beside her bed. This particular visit had been no different so far.

The chunin had been watching the clouds slowly blow by the view the window had presented until finally falling asleep. It had been a peaceful nap until something was laid against his shoulder which caused him to jerk back to consciousness. It was Temari's hand and when the young man turned to look at her she was once again staring at him with a confused expression. "Shikamaru.. I thought you were dead." The girl's voice was much stronger than before but still came out as a low whisper. Shikamaru turned his chair towards her and leaned against the side of her bed on his elbows.

"Your brother and his team were able to save me before I lost too much blood."

"You… ARE A IDIOT!"

The young genius had not planned a reply for this particular statement so was only able to stare at her with a very funny expression. "You risked you're life for me and nearly died!" Temari's voice had transformed from a whisper into a booming shout. The way she had lurched forward immediately made Shikamaru think he was fixing to receive one hell of a punch to the head, but instead he felt her lips softly plant against his. She then laid back with a blush forming on her cheeks, "Thank you." Shikamaru didn't reply but simply stared at her trying to collect his thoughts. What the hell just happened? Temari had kissed him and it completely disarmed him and left his mind in a helpless state. The kunoichi then made a bored gesture with her hands before speaking once more,

"It would probably be a good idea for my brothers to be here. I have a lot to tell about what I heard while being tied up in that tent."

**Author's Note's**

**Sorry about the wait! Between college and everything that comes along with it I've been extremely busy as of late. I also started a new story as well, so you check it out! I hope this chapter was pleasing! Please tell me what you think!**


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